Secular Education

(Secular education without correct Islamic orientation and education, especially in a kufr educational institution is destructive to Imaan and Deen in the extreme. Generally the people that go through this system cannot escape the effects of this system. It is for this reason that our senior Ulama have always condemned this system of education, past andpresent. This is the ruling of two senior Ulama about this secular education)

Shaikhul-Hind Hazrat Maulana Mahmood Hasan (R) has remarked:

"If the consequent effect of secular education, which has been generally noticed is that people become Christianised or poke fun at their own religion, and co-religionists or begin to adore the contemporary (British) government, a Muslim had better remained ignorant than get such education."

- Presidential Address at the inauguration of the Muslim National University, Aligarh

Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (R) says:

"Nowadays the Ulama are being reprehended regarding secular education because they prevent (Muslims) from acquiring it and declare it to be impermissible (na-ja'iz). But I assert on oath that had the consequences of modern secular education not been those which are generally setting in, the Ulama would not have taken exception to it. You should observe what is actually happening. With a few exceptions, almost all the modern secular-educated people are such that they are neither concerned with prayers and fasting nor with any other directives of the Shari'ah; on the contrary, they always go against it and then assert that thereby Islam retrogresses"

- Fazlul-'llm-wal-'Ulama p.8

Again he writes:

"It is a billion times better to be useless and remain in orthodox Shari'ah schools than to be busy in learning secular education; for though there may be no ability and accomplishment (in terms of worldy progress), religious beliefs at least will not be corrupted, there will at least be love for men of religious knowledge. Although one may get the job of a mosque-sweeper, it is better than attaining proficiency in secualr-education and becoming lawyers, barristers, etc., whereby one's beliefs may become corrupted, faith may become shaky and criticisms may stem in respect of Allah, the Prophet (Sallallahu- alayhi-wasallam), the Companions (Radhiallahu-anhum) and other religious elders which is very common; rather a necessary consequence of secular education. The above-mentioned situation is quite clear to a lover of religion; yes, one who is not grieved by losing his religion, he may say whatever he likes"